Zakat is the third pillar of Islam, as stated in the authentic hadiths narrated by Ibn Umar that the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him said: “Islam is built upon five pillars.”The first two pillars are the Shahada (the assertion of faith), which testifies that there is no god but Allah, followed by Salah (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting) and Hajj (pilgrimage).
1.1 Linguistically
Zakat has many meanings:
Growth and development: The Arabic root zaka means to grow, increase and prosper.
Purification, as indicated by the words of Allah Almighty: “Take from their wealth charity to purify and sanctify them with it.” [At-Tawbah: 103]. 1.2
In Shari’a: A specified share of money paid to a certain specific segment.
2. The relationship between the linguistic and Shari’a meanings
2.1 Zakat in the linguistic sense: Increase and growth in this world and in the hereafter. Increase in the world. As the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever a man opens a door to giving, charity or a kindness Allah will cause it to make him prosperous.” [Sahih Al-Jami’]. Increase in the hereafter. As the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allah Almighty accepts charity, and takes it with His Right Hand, to make it grow, as one of you breeds his horse so that a bit becomes as huge as Mount Uhud.” [Sahih Al-Jami’]
2.2 The linguistic sense of Zakat: Purification for the Zakat payer and their money
Pertaining to purification for the Zakat payer, Allah has said: “Take charity from their wealth to cleanse and sanctify them with it.” [At-Tawbah: 103]
Pertaining to purification for the money, as narrated by Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Whoever pays his Zakat will have evil removed from him.” [Narrated by At-Tabarani, Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Hakim who said that it is authentic, according to the condition of Muslim.]
Grazing: Grazing livestock without feeding, but in the case of feeding for most of the year, Zakat is not obligatory
Zakat for a debtor: Whoever is in debt and cannot repay it, except from what he has in his hand, there will be one of two situations:
Zakat for a Creditor
Concerning a creditor, there are two situations:
Ruling on the wealth of minors and insane people
The majority of scholars believe that Zakat must be paid on the wealth of minors and insane people because the ruling of Zakat is general.
Umar also said: “You should seek growth for the orphans’ wealth so that it is not decreased because of Zakat.”
It has been proved that a group of companions were Aisha and Ali, and the son of Omar.
Ruling concerning Zakat due on the funds of charities
These funds miss the condition of complete possession, so Zakat is not obligatory. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars.
Should a property hold on to nisab (minimum amount of property liable for zakat) for a full lunar year?
This is an important query. In other words, if a given property falls short of the minimum threshold required to meet the nisab for Zakat purposes during a year, should the calculation of Zakat restart after it returns to the minimum threshold or the fluctuation doesn’t affect nisab for Zakat purposes?
The answer is: There are many opinions regarding this issue, the most preponderant of which is that the property should not fall short of nisab during one lunar year. If the property falls short, then the calculation should restart once the property returns to the minimum threshold required to meet nisab. And Allah Knows best.
The ruling
It is an obligation on every Muslim, male and female
Zakat Al Fitr has two main purposes:
It is obligatory based on two conditions:
It is recommended to give it on behalf of an unborn child, as Abu Qilabah said:
"They liked to give Zakat al-Fitr on behalf of both the young and the old, even for the unborn child in his mother’s womb." [Reported by Abdul Razzaq with a sound chain].
The correct view is that Zakat Al Fitr should only be given to the poor and needy, those who do not have sufficient provisions for Eid. This is based on the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
"As food for the needy." [Reported by Abu Dawood].
Other categories of Zakat recipients are not eligible for Zakat Al Fitr unless they are poor or needy.
One saa’ (approximately 2.5kg) of the staple food of the country per person.The UAE Council for Fatwa has determined that a saa’ equals 2.5 kg of rice, as it is the most common staple food in the UAE. The monetary equivalent is AED 25 per person.
Most of the food of the country.
Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory in Ramadan as one saa’ of dates or one saa’ of barley." [Agreed upon].
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We used to give it during the Prophet’s time as one saa’ of food or one saa’ of dates or one saa’ of barley or one saa’ of raisins or one saa’ of dried cheese." [Agreed upon].
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "As food for the needy." [Reported by Abu Dawood].
These narrations indicate that one saa’ of the common staple food of a community is required.
The preferred time for giving Zakat Al Fitr is on Eid day before the Eid prayer.
However, it can be given one or two days before Eid to the designated collector. Delaying it until after the Eid prayer is not permissible and does not fulfill the obligation.
The evidence for these rulings includes:
